Mechanical agitator for dredges



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. E. FLAD. MECHANICAL AGITATOR FOR DREDGES.

No. 595,054. Patented Dec. 7, 1897.

Suva/whoa Ed ward Flad.

Gttozwu 4/ W 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. PLAD.

MECHANICAL AGITATOR FOR DREDGES.

Patented Dec. 7, 1897.

canoe/Mot Ed mam! Flad PN m i m 2 ,2 .o Q 3 0 .w 3 o .55 L 3 T .q f o WWI moses (No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 3.

E. FLAD.

MECHANICAL AGITATOR FOR DRBDGES.

No. 595,054. Patented Dec. 7, 1897.

4 She ets-She'et 4.

(No Model.)

E.PLAD. MECHANICAL AGITATOR FOR DREDGES.

No. 595,054. Patented Dec. 7, 1897.

aflvewtoz Edward F103.

3513 abio'onugw UNiTTn STATES PATENT Grrrcn.

EDXVARD FLAD, OF ST. LOUIS MISSOURI.

MECHANICAL AGITATOR FOR DREDGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,054, dated December 7, 1897.

Application filed February 1, 1897. Serial No. 621,453. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD FLAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Mechanical Agitator for Dredges, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

In dredges in which sand or other material to be removed is carried into a suction-pipe by means of an inflowing current of water it is often desirable to use a mechanical agitator to loosen the material to be removed. Various forms of rotating knives and cutters have heretofore been used for this purpose.

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical agitator for dredges of the class above referred to which will have an oscillating or reciprocating motion and which will be strong, simple of construction, and not liable to get out of order.

Another object of my invention is to so construct the agitator that it can be used while the dredge is moving in either directioni. e., either forward or backward.

One of the advantages of the mechanical agitator herein described, as compared to the ordinary rotary agitator or cutter, is that the cutter can be placed very close to the mouthpiece of the suction-pipe. The effect of this is that practically all of the material disturbed by the knives or cutters will be carried into the mouthpiece of the suction-pipe by the inflowing water. In various other forms of agitators, where the material being agitated is at a great distance from the mouthpiece of the suction-pipe, a large percentage of the material agitated is carried over the top or past the sides of the mouthpiece and settles to the bottom again, representing the expenditure of a large amount of useless work.

My invention consists in the various novel features and details of construction described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims afiined hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an agitator made in accordance with my invention and a part of a dredge to which the same is applied, Figure 1 is a top plan view. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is an enlarged side View of a portion of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of the end of one of the suction-pipes with the agitator applied thereto. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4, the lever by means of which the power is applied being omitted. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the main parts shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modification of the agitator. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the modification shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a top plan View of the modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 10 is aside elevation of another modification. Fig. 11 is a vertical section of the modification shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a top plan View of the modification shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 13 is a side elevation showing a modification of the manner of at taching the knives or cutters, and Fig. 14. is a front elevation of the modification shown in Fig. 13.

Like marks of reference refer to similar parts in the several views of the drawings.

20 is a dredge of the usual construction,l1aving formed, preferably at its forward end, an opening 21, known as a well. In the well 21 are situated two suction-pipes 22, which communicate with suitable suction-pumps,by means of which a stream of water is drawn through them, and are provided with swinging joints 23, Fig. 2, so that their ends may be raised or lowered into the desired position for operation. The pipes 22 are also provided with enlarged ends or mouthpieces 24, having openings, in to which the sand or other material to be removed is drawn by the inflowing stream of water. The pipes 22 are connected by bars and braces 25 of any suitable form, so that they will move simultaneously when they are raised or lowered to the proper depth for operation.

26, Fig. 1, is a pipe through which water is forced by any suitable means into chambers 27 on the under sides of the enlarged ends or mouthpieces of the pipes 22. In the front of the chambers 27 are openings 28, Fig. 5, through which the water forced into them escapes in streams or jets and loosens material on which the mechanical agitators are not well adapted to act, or on certain classes of material these jets may be used in connection with the mechanical agitators.

30 are frames consisting of uprights 31 and cross-pieces 32. To the uprights 31 are secured in any suitable manner a number of knives or cutters 33. The frames 30 are pivoted to the enlarged ends or mouthpieces 24 of the pipes 22 by suitable links 34 and by levers 35, which are rigidly secured to shafts 36, carried by lugs or brackets 37 on the said ends 24. Secured to each of the shafts 36 is a lever or arm 38. Pivoted to the arm 38 is one end of a connecting-rod 39, the other end of which is pivoted to an arm 40, secured to a stud 41, carried by the dredge 20. Secured to the stud 41 is another arm 42, to which is pivoted a connecting-rod 43, extending from an engine 44. The two engines 44 are situated at opposite sides of the well 21, as shown in Fig. 1, and are connected by a shaft 45, so as to act as a double-cylinder engine.

In the modification shown in Figs. 7, 8, and

9 the portion 24 is bent or curved downward and provided at each side with an opening. Before each of these openings is situated one of the frames 30,hereinbefore described,which is pivoted to the part 24 by links 46 and levers 47. To the end of each of the levers 47 is pivoted one end of a connecting-rod 48, the other end of which is pivoted to an arm 49, secured to a shaft 50. On the shaft 50 is an arm 51, to which is pivoted the end of the connectingrod 39. 52 is a valve which is situated in the portion 24 and secured to a rod 53, which is pivoted in the ends of the said part. The rod 53 extends through one end of the part 24 and has secured to it an arm 54. Pivoted to the arm 54 is a rod 55, provided with a ring or hook 56, which engages with one of two hooks 57. By means of the rod 55 the valve 52 may be swung to close one or the other of the openings in the part 24, according as it is desired to work the dredge backward or forward.

In the modification shown in Figs. 10, 11, and 12 the part 24 is curved downwardly, as in the previously-described modification. In this modification the end of the part 24, which is approximately semicircular, is entirely open. The frame 30 is like those previously described, except that it is made approximately semicircular to conform to the shape of the end of the part 24. The frame 30 is rigidly connected by arms 58 to collars 59, which turn loosely on the ends of a shaft 60, journaled in the ends of the part 24. On the collars 59 are arms 61, to each of which is pivoted one end of a conn ecting-rod 62, the other end of which is pivoted-to an arm 63, carried by a shaft 64. On the shaft 64 is an arm 65, to which is pivoted the end of the connectingrod 39. On the enlarged part 24 is a valve 66, made to conform to the shape of the end of said part and close about one-half of the opening. The valve 66 is rigidly connected by arms 67 to the 'rod or shaft 60. On the shaft is an arm 68, to which is, pivoted the end of a rod 69, provided with a ring 70 for engaging with hooks 71. By means of the rod 69 the valve 66 can be shifted from one side of the opening to the other to adapt the dredge for work in either direction.

In Figs. 13 and 14 is shown a modification of the manner of securing the knives or cutters to the frame 30. In this modification the knives 33 instead of being rigidly attached to the uprights 31 are pivoted to them and are provided with lugs 72, which prevent them from swinging in one direction. The knives may be secured in this manner in any of the forms of agitator described, but when used in that shown in Figs. 10, 11, and 12 the knives at opposite sides of the center should be arranged to swing in opposite directions.

In the modification shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 I have not shown a chamber like the chamber 27, but it is obvious that such a chamber having outlet-openings at each side could be arranged below this form of agitator.

The operation of my agitator is as follows: The power is communicated from the engines 44 by the rods 43, arms 42 and 40, and the connecting-rods 39 to the arms 38. The arms 38 being rigidly secured to the shafts 36, the said shafts are partially rotated by the movement of the arms. This motion is transmitted to the frames 30, giving them an oscillating or reciprocating motion. This motion causes the cutters 33 to loosen the sand, 850., so that it can be drawn into the pipes 22 by the inflowing water. The rods 43 should be so arranged that when one of the frames 30 is moving upward the other will be moving downward, so as to keep the strain upon the engines as nearly constant as possible. The jet-agitators, consisting of jets of water issuing from the openings 28 in the chambers 27, may be used in place 'of the mechanical agitators whenever during the process of dredging material is encountered for the agitation of which water-jets are more particularly applicable. If found desirable, both the mechanical agitator and the water-jets may be used at the same time.

The operation of the modification is like that above described, the only difference being that when the dredge is run in the opposite direction the valves are thrown from the position shown in full lines to that shown in dotted lines.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a dredge, a suitable suction-pipe having an inlet-opening, a suitable frame situated adjacent to said opening, two or more pairs of links pivotally carrying said frame, knives or cutters mounted on said frame, a shaft to which one of said pairs of links is rigidly secured, and means for actuating said shaft to impart a reciprocating motion to said frame.

2. In a dredge, a suitable suction-pipe having an inlet-opening, a frame situated adjacent to said opening, knives or cutters carried by said frame, a pair of links pivotally connecting said frame to said suction-pipe, a pair of links pivoted to said frame at one end and rigidly secured to a shaft at the other, and means for actuating said shaft to impart a reciprocating motion to said frame.

3. In a dredge, a suitable suction-pipe having an inlet-opening, a frame situated adjacent to said inlet-opening, knives or cutters carried by said frame and pivoted to yield in one direction, and means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said frame.

4. In a dredge, a suitable suction-pipe having an inlet-opening, a frame situated adjacent to said opening, knives or cutters carried by said frame, means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said frame, a chamber having outlet-openings below said inlet-openings, and means for forcing Water into said chamber and through said outlet-openings.

5. In a dredge, a suitable suction-pipe having two inlet-openings, frames situated adjacent to said inlet-openings, knives or cutters carried by said frames, means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said frames, a valve in said suction-pipe and closing one of said inlet-openings, and means for shifting said valve from one of said openings to the other.

6. In a dredge, a suitable suction-pipe having two inlet-openings, frames pivotally connected to said pipe and situated adjacent to said openings, knives or cutters carried by said frames, means for imparting a reciprocating motion to said frames, a valve in said suction-pipe and closing one of said inletopenings, and means for shifting said valve from one of said openings to the other.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses.

nnw. FLAD. [n s.]

Witnesses:

O. E. KUEHN, A. II. MUNDT. 

